Brothers meet in Big Ten opener

Jibreel Black was supposed to be IU’s top recruit for the 2010 season.

He was supposed to be the replacement for Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton at defensive end. He was supposed to be playing on the same defensive line as his older brother, sophomore defensive tackle Larry Black Jr.

Jibreel will be at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, playing on the same field as his brother.

However, when IU faces Michigan at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, the two brothers will reunite on the field as opponents — not as teammates as they originally planned.

That plan was rewritten when Jibreel decommitted from IU to play in his home city for the University of Cincinnati. The move came after IU blew a 25-point lead last October to lose at Northwestern, 29-28.

With Jibreel’s future team at 4-4, his hometown Bearcats were garnering national attention with a 7-0 record and a No. 5 ranking. Jibreel made the decision to decommit from IU and accepted a scholarship offer from Cincinnati, citing IU’s lack of success combined with the Bearcats’ emergence.

As a freshman at IU last year, Larry often talked about how talented Jibreel was and how excited he was that he was coming to IU. Larry was disappointed that his little brother would not be joining him in Bloomington but understood it was his decision
to make.

“It was his choice and his decision,” Larry said. “I knew he had a lot of opportunities to choose where he wanted to go, and that was the place he felt was better for him.”

But the four-star recruit was thrown another curveball when Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly left to coach Notre Dame. With Kelly gone, Jibreel knew he had to weigh his options. After a weekend visit to Michigan in January, Jibreel committed to play for Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez on a defense that struggled during a 5-7 campaign in 2009.

Jibreel has played in each of the Wolverines’ four games so far this season. While he has yet to make his first collegiate tackle, his big brother approves of his performance.

“I try and watch all his games when we’re not playing,” Larry said. “He’s been looking good, and I’m really proud of him.”

Saturday’s game will mark the first time the Black brothers have ever played against each other. While they will not be on the field at the same time, Larry assures bragging rights will be up for grabs.

“We trash talk all the time,” Larry said. “We’ve been going at it every day, so it’s going to be fun.”

Although Jibreel was a more highly touted prospect out of high school, Larry has been the one setting the bar with accolades. Last year, Larry was named to the Sporting News Freshman All-America team.

Co-defensive coordinator Brian George said the improvements Larry has made since his freshman year have made him an important part of the Hoosiers’ pass rush.

“I think he was a little under-recruited in high school,” George said. “I think that the things that came out about his character and his worth ethic said that this guy’s got a pretty high ceiling.”

Instead of watching film with Larry on how to stop Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, Jibreel goes up against him every practice. Larry admitted he might have tried getting some pointers on Robinson from Jibreel.

“I’ve been trying to get them, but it hasn’t been working,” Larry said with a laugh.

Larry and Jibreel will leave all kidding aside when the two square off in the two teams’ Big Ten opener. The IU coaching staff might wish that they had both Black brothers, but they know both are a key asset to their respected programs.

“They’re both big, strong and fast, and they’re both people of great character,” George said. “They’re the kind of people you want to be in your football program.”